Single for Valentine's Day
by thepeacockandthebutterfly
Summary: Chloe never expected to be rejected on Valentine's Day, and now, broken-hearted and lonely, she doesn't know who to turn to. Lucky for her she has a red-haired secret admirer who has started leaving little gifts on her desk everyday... ChloexNath bee!Chloe fox!Nathanael


**Dedicated to rainbowreader1290(read the bottom author note for special information ;) love you all!)**

* * *

 **Single for Valentine's Day**

 **by thepeacockandthebutterfly**

They said it was impossible. They said it could never happen. But with a single word, what seemed like a miracle to many happened...but first, you need to understand just how the impossible became reality.

* * *

"Are you dating Adrien?" The sour words dropped from her lips and crashed in the silence that followed them.

Marinette turned slowly, apprehensively. Her blue eyes seemed to fill with sympathy, pity that she didn't want to see, but in the next moment the look was gone. "I am."

Although stated simply and quietly, the affirmation resonated throughout the room, reaching the ears of two people.

An artist, sitting in the back of the classroom, unnoticed.

A diva, brat, and drama queen, gaping at the dark-haired girl before her.

Two broken hearts.

Marinette walked away to the door, where Adrien waited with a smile and a box of chocolates. He bent down to whisper, "Happy Valentine's Day, Princess," in her ear. Chloe saw this as if from far away, feeling a crack in her heart at the sight. She wanted to be the one hearing his sweet words and receiving his gifts.

But instead she saw Marinette stretched out on her tip-toes to kiss Adrien on the cheek and accept the gift. And after the sickeningly adorable exchange, their fingers intertwined, appearing as if they were of one body and soul and mind. They then left the classroom, happiness practically radiating off of them.

Nathanael stayed seated at his desk, stunned. His mind was simply reeling at the announcement. He had expected this, had seen the "secret" glances and whispers, but even so this gave it a sort of finality. He wasn't sure what to feel or even how to react.

But Chloe. standing alone in the middle of the classroom, sank into an unoccupied desk. "Why?" Her voice was quavery, showing the emotion the girl usually hid. A broken sob left her mouth, accompanied by a single salty teardrop sliding down her cheek.

Nathanael was broken out of his stupor by her words, staring incredulously at the girl. "Are you crying?" He didn't even realize that he had asked the question out loud until she turned to look at him. Nathanael was stunned by the emotions flickering across the surface of her baby blue eyes.

Chloe felt numb, cold and closed off from the world. On the verge of tears, she didn't notice a pair of warm arms pulling her into an embrace.

Nathanael wrapped his arms around Chloe, not fully understanding why he felt the urge to comfort this girl who had hurt him so many times in the past.

 _It's just that...when I look into her eyes...I can see her soul. And she's just as broken as I am._

Nath bit his lip nervously when Chloe turned her head into his chest, nuzzling into his body. "Are you ok, Chlo?"

She pulled herself away from the artist with a surprised sound, eyes flitting up to meet his. She seemed to realize where she was and who was holding her close, as her baby blue orbs held more fright than anything else. "I'm fine," she sneered, but the jabbing tone held no bite behind it.

"And by fine you mean broken, defeated, betrayed, pathetic, and rejected."

Chloe felt a shiver run through her body at this boy who could decipher her innermost feelings just like that. "How?" she paused, confusion generating question after question. "Why? Even after all I've done?"

Nath lowered his head with a dejected sigh, not knowing the answers to her questions. He was feeling so many different things at the same time. But he knew in the end that the anger he felt in that moment was not for the blonde girl sitting in front of him. "I know how you are feeling because...because I feel exactly the same."

He felt himself drawn to her, wanting more than anything to stop her tears, to kiss her, to make everything better.

Chloe was in the same boat, never having felt like this towards anyone. Ever. She got up, trying to put as much distance between herself and the red-haired boy as she could. "Get away from me!" she cried, fear filling her at her emotions. She ran out of the classroom, adrenaline coursing through her veins, nervousness running rampant as she tried to hide from everything she was feeling. She didn't know what to do. She didn't understand why she was acting like this.

"Chloe," Nathanael breathed, trying to make sense of what he was feeling at that moment. This girl had always had such a negative effect on his life, to the point where he viewed her as a monster. But the vulnerability he had seen today, it opened up a part of her that he had never seen. And when she cried, he had never seen anything so beautiful.

Reaching for his pencil and sketchbook, Nathanael began to sketch. His pencil drew graphite lines every direction, somehow pulling together to form an image. Harsh lines becoming the sharp contours of a face. Thin lines depicted delicate features. Shaded slate tones and deep charcoal wove together. And when he finally paused, a familiar person stared back at him. Chloe, head tilted upward, mouth open in a laugh and nose crinkled up. Her hair was loose and worn down, framing the angles of her face. Glittering eyes filled with happiness, flower crown woven through her locks. She looked angelic, completely different from the Chloe he saw daily. And yet she was the same.

He hesitated before dipping his pencil to another creamy white sheet of paper to begin again. This time a different image flowed from the graphite tip, one that spoke of his memories. But this time when he finished the paper was crumpled up and thrown in the trash can. He tried again, fingertips flying rapidly. But again the image was not right. Countless balls of paper filled the trashcan before Nath finally gave up. "I can't capture it," he huffed. The slender fingers of the artist gently uncrumpled and flattened out one piece of paper. A small frown crossed his face at the image before him. He had drawn Chloe again, but Chloe as he had seen her today. A single tear falling from her eyes with said eyes full of sadness. But it wasn't right.

Nathanael got up from the desk with a huff and walked out of the classroom, not sure what he was going to do next.

 _Maybe I should go patrol tonight to do some de-stressing._

* * *

Chloe looked at the ceiling, eyes wandering from raised spiral pattern to the next on the gilded white ceiling. She felt this urge to just hide, hide away from the world. Adrien-her sweet Adrikins-her best friend since childhood-was dating another girl. And not just any girl, that peasant, Marinette.

 _It's Valentine's Day and I'm crying over a boy...how typical..._

And now that red-haired boy, Nathanael, kept entering her thoughts. She couldn't deny that she was curious about him, but she didn't understand why. "He's just a peasant," Chloe reminded herself, but the words were hollow and even she could tell that she didn't really believe them.

With a sigh she sat up on her bed and walked to her window, opening it and gazing out over Paris. A glint entered her eyes as she knew what she wanted to do. "Mirabee? You've been awfully quiet..."

Mirabee hovered beside Chloe's face, satisfaction written all over her small fuzzy features. "It's high time you moved on from that golden-haired boy!"

Chloe just rolled her eyes. "I haven't moved on, he's just dating someone else."

"But what about that tomato head? What was his name...?" Mirabee's high voice trailed off as she tried to remember, "Oh! Nathanael!"

"Mirabee..." But Chloe knew arguing with the bee kwami would not get her anywhere, so instead she closed her eyes, willing her transformation to bubble over her.

Gold twisted around her, hands moving across her face to form a delicate mask and bodysuit. After a final twirl, Queen Bee stood in Chloe Bourgeois's bedroom. She flew upward and out of the gilded window in the bedroom, soaring through the skies of Paris.

* * *

She fled away from her problems, dipping lower in the dark sky to slim the clouds, relishing the feel of the cold night air against her cheeks. "Why?" she screamed to the sky, "Why today?" It was silly of her to get so worked up, to let her true feelings free like this. But that's not what she was thinking about in that moment. In that moment she only wanted to yell out her pain until her throat was raw. She didn't notice a vulpine superhero running across rooftops below her, didn't see his ears perk up at the sound of her cries. Unaware of the fact that she was dipping, falling through the sky that was her domain. Didn't register the tears dripping down her cheeks and blurring her vision. All that mattered was the broken fragments of her heart.

Vulpin saw Queen Bee slowly dropping towards him, so he bunched his legs and sprang upward, catching her before she could fall farther.

"Vulpin?" her shaky voice asked.

Vulpin smiled tenderly at his partner, feeling their connection wash over him reassuringly. Looking at her face, he could honestly say that if he hadn't been so smitten with Marinette, he probably would've had a crush on her. "Yes, my Queen?"

Queen Bee smiled slightly at the nickname, warmth shooting through her at the endearment. "Thank you."

Vulpin set down the bee heroine on the rooftop gently, taking care to wrap his furry tail around her body. Once she was settled, he plopped down to cuddle beside her, soaking in the warmth of her body. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly, noting how she tensed up at his question.

Sighing, she shook her head ruefully, "This guy I've liked for years is dating someone else...actually he's dating my least favorite person."

Vulpin was momentarily surprised; partially because Queen Bee was so nice and apparently she had a "least favorite" person, and partially because her story sounded eerily similar to a certain blonde girl's. "What was this guy's name?"

Queen Bee sighed. "Adrien."

Chills traveled down Vulpin's spine at the name. He had to resist the urge to pull away from his partner, to get as far away from her as possible. His sweet, loving partner was the same girl who had once caused him and countless others to be akumatized. With a cough, he drew away from her just slightly. "I'm sorry, Queenie," he whispered.

Her shaking had slowed, but she only sighed. "It's fine, the only thing is that I'm so confused about my other classmate." She scrunched her face cutely, "He was so sweet to me today..."

Vulpin felt his heart beat racing at Chloe's words.

 _Is it possible? Could she be confused about me?_

And he found himself questioning for the first time the warmth he had often felt towards the yellow-clad heroine. In the past, he had ignored it in favor of Marinette, viewing his affection for Queen Bee as nothing more than sisterly. But this? This changed everything.

* * *

Nathanael sat at his drawing desk a few hours later, hands working feverishly. He had an idea, a brilliant one if he did say so himself. Getting up, he rubbed at his eyes blearily. "I hope she likes it," he said fondly, gazing upon his handiwork proudly before slipping beneath his comforter and allowing himself to slip into sleep's warm embrace.

* * *

Chloe walked into class like normal the next day, hips swaying and smirk firmly plastered on her lips. Her gaze seemed to say "I'm better than you and you know it." A sly wink at all the cutest boys in school and she turned to walk through the doorway. But, when her pale blue eyes swept across the classroom, she found most of her classmates crowded around her desk. Chloe raised one hand just slightly in the air, using it to wave people away. Stepping closer to the desk to get a good look, Chloe couldn't help her gasp of surprise.

A perfect honeycomb shaped like a heart sat there, dripping with sticky sweet honey. Beside it was a rose, fully in bloom, it's petals swelling into a dark red bloom. And lastly was a small paper card, seemingly cheap next to the other two gifts. Chloe reached for it with trembling fingers, opening the card and reading the words inside.

" _Sorry I missed Valentine's Day, Goldie, hopefully this gift makes it up...although, of course, this honey is nowhere as sweet as you."_

Tracing the neatly written words with a manicured nail, Chloe didn't notice the gaze of everyone in her class on her. But when she did, an unwelcome blush gently dusted itself across her cheeks. She scowled at the onlookers before sliding into her seat, tucking the card into her book. Her slim fingers reached for the rose, noting the lack of thorns, and twirled it around, bringing it close to her nose to smell it's scent. Sighing in satisfaction, she gently placed the bloom in her bag. But she frowned slightly at the honeycomb, contemplating the meaning behind it.

 _There's no way they could know I'm Queen Bee...although I don't even know who left this stuff here._

Dipping a finger in the sticky sweet honey, Chloe brought it up to her lips, delicately licking off the golden substance. As she did so, Nathanael came into the room. Chloe looked up and their eyes met, Nathanael staring deeply into her baby blue orbs. Chloe continued to lick off her finger, sucking the last remnants of honey off it, maintaining eye contact with the artist who was steadily turning a darker shade of red. Chloe popped the digit out of her mouth and winked at him before turning to dip her finger in the honey again.

Nathanael took advantage of the lack of eye contact and rushed to his seat, trying to stave off his reddened cheeks. He slumped into his desk, almost trying to hide beneath it. It was one of those days where he was so happy he didn't share his desk with anyone.

 _Aaaand Chloe just used my present to her to tease me. How typical._

But Nathanael found the corners of his mouth turned down ever so slightly at that thought. Sighing, he pushed it away to the back of his head in order to pay attention to the lesson...or TRY to pay attention to the lesson, seeing as Chloe was still eating the honey slowly, twirling her finger around in her mouth and then pulling it out from between her lips with a slight popping sound.

* * *

Queen Bee was on top of the moon, she was so happy. These were the times where she could just let her feelings out. Flying in loop-de-loops, loosing arrows from her bow to hit their targets perfectly. With a twack, one arrow landed right next to her heroic partners, one in particular catching her eye.

She floated down to the ground gently, seeing the eyes of Paon, Ladybug, Chat Noir, Fonce, Guardian, and Vulpin locked on her as she descended. She landed on the rooftop with barely a sound, grinning at the 6 heroes and heroines. "What's up, guys?"

They were all used to Queen Bee's sweet and cheery nature, but today it was a step up, even for her. Ladybug and Paon watched their best friend carefully, trying to figure out what had happened. But Paon needed only a moment to think before she stepped forward to sling an arm around her friend's shoulders, instantly knowing what was up.

"Who's the guy?" Paon said, satisfaction practically oozing out of her.

Queen Bee gaped at her auburn-haired friend, surprised at her intuitive-ness. "What?"

Paon just smirked and stepped away, pulling out her fans and using them to drift through the air after leaping off the roof.

Ladybug raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow at Queen Bee. "I want to hear the whole story, but we should patrol first." She winked at her friend before spreading her wings and following after the peacock-themed heroine.

Queen Bee shook her head at her slightly insane friends before jumping after them and speeding to catch up.

The guys exchanged a look. "Girls are so weird," Fonce muttered, eliciting nods of agreement from Chat Noir and Guardian. But they too went after the female heroes, not wanting to be left behind.

Only Vulpin stayed on the roof, goofy smile on his face. His day just kept getting better.

* * *

The next day, Chloe was a bit quicker to walk into the classroom, sauntering in but loosing a bit of the bravado of the previous day. And DEFINITELY not pausing to flirt with any other guys. In fact, she was only thinking about her mysterious secret admirer and his gifts.

 _I wonder if there'll be anything waiting for me today..._

She stepped through the door, angling herself to slip through the students once again standing around her desk. Barely having to push people aside, they merely parted for her, she gazed down at some new gifts. Once again, a rose was lying there, but this one was white, shot through with dusky pink veins. Beside it was another card, which she snatched up.

" _Honey, haven't you figured out who I am yet? You should bee ashamed_."

Chloe didn't even try to drop the confused expression from her face. The bee jokes were worrying to her, she hoped her secret identity wasn't known to them. Turning her gaze from the crisp white sheet of paper, she noticed the final gift. A thin gold chain necklace sparkled on her desk, a charm in the shape of a crown dangling off of it. She ran her fingers over the delicate piece of jewelry, marveling at the craftsmanship. But then she realized the symbolism of the crown. "There's no way," she breathed, feeling a twinge of panic.

At that moment, Nathanael walked in, but he caught the flash of despair that appeared on her features. "Are you okay, Chlo?"

Feeling his hand gently rest on her shoulder, Chloe looked up at him, feeling reassured by his turquoise eyes. She gasped slightly, "y-yes, I'm fine." With a shooing motion, she tried to chase Nath away half-heartedly.

"If you're not okay, know that you can talk to me."

Chloe's eyes shot up to watch Nathanael's retreating back. A tremble ran through her as she realized that he was being honest. And that scared her. It scared her almost as much as the warmth she felt for him. Even worse, she wanted to tell him the truth, that she really wasn't ok. But she couldn't do that, she couldn't let anyone see the broken and lonely girl beneath her snooty exterior. They would only feel sorry for her instead of respecting her. So, she shoved down any feelings for the red-haired boy and turned around, settling in for the lesson.

But she couldn't help her fingers reaching up to touch the necklace hanging around her neck.

And she didn't see the small smile on Nathanael's face when he saw the tiny hand motion.

* * *

A genuine smile, a rare sight to see on Chloe's face, appeared as she walked into the classroom. No one was gathered around her desk this time and she had managed to sleep in due to the lack of patrol. It was shaping up to be a good day.

A stuffed animal, a plushy red fox with soft fur and plastic eyes stitched onto it sat on her desk this morning. Confusion was evident on Chloe's face as she touched the gift. She gently picked up the typical rose beside it, this one an orangey red. But she was hesitant to open the note, not wanting to read what it said. Taking a deep sniff of the rose in her fingers, the sweet scent calming her, she cautiously opened and read the paper.

" _Foxes like sweet things. And you, my Queen, are the sweetest of all."_

Fear like ice water filled her, a cold sweat upon her brow. She stared at the words incredulously. Placing the rose back on the desk, Chloe reread the 13 words over and over again. "Foxes" could mean anything, she told herself. But, eyes moving to the next startling phrase, "My Queen" was something only one fox had ever said to her.

"Vulpin?" she whispered, brows wrinkling. She felt bile rise up in her throat at the thought of her partner knowing her secret identity.

 _Please, please let it not be him._

Nathanael walked in, intent on talking to Chloe again that day, but she wasn't sitting at her desk. The gifts on her desk had definitely been touched, the rose still lying pristine on the desk. But the note was gone and the plushy fox had fallen to the floor. Nath bent to pick the stuffed animal up, brushing off any dirt. He glanced around for Chloe, but not finding her, he stalked back to her desk, sinking into the chair.

 _I hope she's ok._

But his worries were eased when Chloe came back into the classroom. She looked fine, but Nathanael knew better. He saw the faintest red rims around her eyes and knew that she had been crying. Bringing his fingers to his lips, he hoped furiously that it wasn't because of him.

But he had a bad feeling when Queen Bee failed to show up for patrol that night. He leapt from wall to wall, roof to roof, until he landed on Chloe's balcony. He began to play his flute softly, the lilting tune reaching through the glass doors. Hoping with all his might that the music would coax her out of hiding.

Chloe heard the music and couldn't help but smile slightly. She knew Vulpin had come calling. She felt momentary worry as to why he was there, but the tune he was playing drew her. She got up from her bed, wrapping a golden robe around herself. Walking through her suite, she stopped before the glass doors leading out to her balcony. She saw the fox sitting there, blowing gently across the opening in the top of the flute. She opened the doors silently and moved to sit beside him, loving the way his eyes sparkled at the sight of her.

"Hi," she said.

His head tilted at her, a lopsided grin spreading on his masked face. But then her face turned serious. "Why didn't you come to patrol tonight?"

Chloe felt that same nausea as before. "You-you know?"

Vulpin placed a gloved hand on her shoulder, the touch sending sparks through her body. "Chloe, Queen Bee, I would know you no matter whether or not you have a mask on."

Tears springing unbidden to her eyes, Chloe turned her face away. "I didn't want you to know the awful person I am under the mask."

He placed a clawed finger under her chin, turning her face towards him so that she was forced to look into his aquamarine eyes. And the he sighed, feeling the words pressing on his lips. "Queenie, I think I love you. And nothing will keep me from you, not even you."

And then the tears really did fall from Chloe's eyes. She took deep gasping breaths, hands going up to wipe away the tears flowing from her light blue eyes. And when Vulpin reached into a satchel by his side and pulled out a familiar plush fox, Chloe grabbed it to her chest.

"I think-I think I love you too," she said, before hesitating. A face flashed before her eyes and then her own eyes narrowed, mentally comparing that face to the fox superhero sitting next to her. And then she smiled, a huge grin that lit up her features. "I think I love you too, Nathanael."

Vulpin pulled his Queen to his chest, a satisfied smile on his face. "You guessed right, Chlo."

* * *

When Chloe Bourgeois and Nathanael Kurtzberg walked into school, fingers laced tightly together, someone was bound to question it.

Rose, their classmate, approached them cautiously. Her big blue eyes were curious and-dare I say-a bit mischievous as she asked the question that everyone was wondering. "Chloe, are you and Nathanael dating?"

Chloe hesitated for the slightest moment, but a gentle squeeze of her hand from Nath made up her mind. She grinned at Rose, taking all of their classmates by surprise.

"Did Chloe just smile?"

"Is she going to answer Rose?"

"I didn't think I'd ever see the day Chloe Bourgeois smiled like that. Am I dreaming?"

Questions thrummed around the room, but one small word split the curiosity clouding the room. Chloe spoke, and although she only said one thing, it carried more weight than anything else she had ever said to her classmates.

"Yes."

* * *

 **Happy Valentine's Day everyone!**

 **This is a little gift from me to my beloved beta, rainbowreader1290, for everything she does for me. I couldn't put it into a simple PM how much I appreciate you looking over each chapter for Wings, so this one-shot is dedicated to you. I hope you liked it and I hope you won't find anything majorly wrong with it (hopefully).**

 **But I hope you loved the ChloexNath and there were a few spoilers for Wings hidden in this one-shot(it takes place after Wings although with a few differences(Chloe and Nath get together in Wings eventually). If you find anything, make sure to leave a review with your guesses!**

 **REMEMBER: REVIEWS, FOLLOWS, AND FAVORITES ARE FOOD TO A FANFICTION WRITER!**

* * *

 **And because I have an awful habit of intertwining all my stories together in some way(think Disney and Pixar with their easter eggs) here's a sneak peek of Chapter 22 of Wings:**

 _Alya didn't know who she was more angry at in that moment. Maybe herself, seeing as she had missed all these little details in the way her so-called best friend acting. But it was probably more with that so-called best friend._

 _"Marinette..." she sighed, hurt filling her veins, "Why didn't you tell me?"_

 _And just as these things normally go, resentment began to set into Alya. Clenched fists, eyes narrowed, a feeling of betrayal that the dark butterfly within her soaked up._

 _"It isn't too late to join you, correct?" The question was practically an order, barked out through gritted teeth._

 _And the butterfly within only stretched it's wings experimentally, reaching for the puppet strings he hoped would be in his grasp shortly._

 _"Of course not, Fenwa."_

 _It's voice was silky smooth, buttery even, but a hiss of delight rang through Alya's poor mind as the butterfly took control. It didn't require force, just a spreading of it's will over hers. Binding her mind up tight with iron chains so that he could push her aside._

 _"My dear, Fenwa, you won't be able to stop me even if you want to now."_

 _And it relished in the cries that fell from its chosen's lips as he retook his place. The pain that had dwindled away returned in full force, breaking Alya's last restraints. Only darkness remained in the girl as the dark butterfly twisted, noir wings flaring with purple light. A voice issued itself from Alya's mouth, as if two people spoke in unison, creating a malicious sort of harmony. And the only thing in Alya's mind was a blackened evil, and it's words were her only thoughts._

 _And yet, as if she had any control left, the three words that resonated and reverberated in the air were spoken with utter conviction._

 _"Ladybug must pay."_


End file.
